A skeptical friend asked why I like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon so much… so the following, off the top of my head, even though I recognize de gustibus non est disputandum…
Why is it the best (for me)?
It’s the music
It’s the two love stories
It’s the Zen
It’s China, one of my current obsessions
It’s the fight scenes of breath-taking brilliance
It’s the feminist critique
It’s the power of love
It’s the power of imagination
It’s Jen’s (Zhang Ziyi’s) tenacity to fetch that comb in the desert
It’s the question, “Who is your teacher?
It’s the waking up
It’s Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei) wanting to be happy, not wanting to suffer any more under male power
It’s getting free
It’s submitting to discipline
It’s the sword of Green Destiny that’s a koan
It’s the courage to hold someone’s hand
It’s Li Bu-Mai’s (Chow Yun-Fat’s) realization that meditation is not enough
It’s Shu Lin’s (Michelle Yeoh’s) incredibly expressive face when she doesn’t say a word
